Car construction



Patented Dec. 13, 1927.

UNITED STATES HOMER W. WILLIAMS, F TACOMA, WASHINGTON.

CAR CONSTRUCTION.

Original application filed December 7, 1922, Serial No. 605,488, now Patent No. 1,589,580, dated June 22,

1926. Divided and this application filed January 9,

My invention relates more particularly to the end construction of a composite box-car and involves means whereby the car end is reenforced and strengthened at points where the strains are more particularly encountered and concentrated due to shifting loads; while at the same time a portion of said means is formed to provide an ell'ective weather seal with the planks forming the end wall of the car.

The objects and advantages of my invention will be more readily comprehended from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a freight or box-car, illustrating the application of my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan of the lower portion of the car end.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the lower end portion of the car.

My invention relates more particularly to means for reenforcing the end walls of boxcars of the composite type, wherein the end wall composed of superposed planks is provided with the vertically disposed members 11, 11 of Z-bar construction, as more clearly shown in Figure 2. These members extend from top to bottom and are secured preferably by means of bolts as at 12 to the end planks and by means of rivets to the reenforcing member or top plate 13 at the upper ends and at the bottom ends by means of'rivets to the end sill 14 at a point adjacent to the striking casting 15; the one side or flange of the Z-bars being sheared off at the lower ends as shown at 16 to provide proper clearance for the striking casting or plate 15.

The corners of the car are provided with angle plates 17 secured to the side as well as to the end of the car. Disposed in a diagonal manner from the upper end of each corner plate 17 toward the lower end of the adjacent reenforcing member 11, is a brace member 18; namely on each side of the vertical center of the car end. These brace members 18, 18 are preferably in the nature of 2- bars, as shown in Figure 2, with one side or flange secured to the end wall preferably by means of rivets to the top plate 13 and to the end sill 14:.

For the purpose of providing suitable support for the usual ladder indicated at 19 and in order to have proper clearance so far as 1926. Serial No. 80,153.

the diagonal brace 18 is concerned, the end of the ear ad aCent to one side is shown provided with bracket members 20, 20 at the upper and lower ends of the ladder.

The lower or bottom portion of the car end is shown provided with a reenforcing plate 21 which extends upwardly from the end sill 14 to a predetermined extent. The reenforcing plate arranged on the outer surface of the end planks 10 of the car body, with the lower longitudinal edge of said plate 21 riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the end sill 14 and thus providing a direct connection with the lower structural members or underframe of the car. The plate 21 is disposed intermediate of the brace members 11 and 18 and the corner plates 17 and the end planks 10 of the car; with all of said members and planks suitably secured together.

The 'upper longitudinal portion of the reenforcing plate 21 is preferably bent inwardly and thence upwardly as shown at 22 in Figure 3; said inwardly bent portion being disposed between two adjacent end planks 10. The upper longitudinal edge of the plate is bent upwardly from the horizontal portion to provide a vertical flange arranged flush with the inner surface of the superposed planks as shown at 23 in Figure 3.

By forming the reenforcing plate as shown and described an effective weather seal is not only provided, but at the same time said plate is greatly reenforced; the inwardly and upwardly disposed flange forming the top chord of a laterally disposed truss or girder, of which the end sill 14 forms the bottom chord. This greatly reenforces the end of the car laterally as well as longitudinally against telescoping. The construction and arrangement of the plate at the upper edge as previously described also provides an effective weather seal whereby rain or the elements are prevented from entering the car at the juncture of the reenforcing plate 21 and the end planks 10.

s is apparent from the construction shown, the bottom of the car is thereby materially strengthened and reenforced to withstand the end thrusts of shifting loads as well as to prevent the penetration of the end wall by the loaded material orlading, especially where the latter consists of fabrireenforcing .mitted to the car underframe; the corner plates acting somewhat as suspension members tending to hold up the corners of the car; while the reenforced plate not only offers proper resistance to the load thrusts but also materially reenforces the car laterally and at the same time is arranged in Weather sealing relation with the end planks of the car. 7

This application involves subject matter which constituted a modification in my pending application Serial No. 605,488, filed December 7, 1922, now Patent, No. 1,589,580,

dated June 22, 1926, and has been withdrawn therefrom.

Vhat I claim is:

In the end construction of a composite wood and steel car having a metallic end sill, end Walls of superposed planks and angle iron corner posts, a metallic plate ar ranged transverely of the 'car end and extending from corner post to corner post intermediate of the end sill and said corner posts, the lower longitudinal edge of the plate being secured to the outer vertically disposed face of the end'sill of the car and to the corner posts, said plate being of considerable vertical width to extend a distance above the floor 01"" the car on the outer side thereof, the upper longitudinal edge being bent inwardly and disposed between the superposed planks and thence upwardly with said upwardly disposed portion arranged flush with the inner face of the superposed planks of the car end wall.

HOMER W. WVILLIAMS. 

